Harvey Specter, Mike Ross, and other Suits protagonists were great, but the legal drama’s supporting characters also stole the show. With TV shows like Suits becoming rarer in an era of limited series and big-budget 10-episode shows for streaming, it can be easy to forget how difficult it was for a series to run successfully for nine seasons. The Suits characters were part of the reason why the show was on air for so long and continues to find new audiences on Netflix and Peacock.

Suits may have started as a story about a high-profile lawyer and his new associate, but it evolved into something bigger. Harvey and Mike were indeed the focus of the series for seven seasons, but Suits let characters like Jessica, Louis, Donna, and Rachel shine. In addition to the big names, some of which will hopefully return in the Suits: L.A. spinoff for cameos, Suits also had some great supporting characters.

10

Travis Tanner

Played by Eric Close

Harvey Specter had many rivals in Suits, but Travis Tanner was arguably the best of them. Before Suits’ main characters found themselves in several critical situations that put not only their careers but the fate of the firm on the line, it seemed like Harvey was invincible. The introduction of Travis Tanner changed this perception by revealing that there were people who could get under Harvey’s skin. Mike was usually the one acting by impulse, yet whenever Travis Tanner was around, Harvey would make mistakes.

Travis was an “evil Harvey Specter” in the sense that he was as good as the show’s main character, except that he was on the other side of the lawsuits. There were no tricks in the book that Travis would not use to win a case, which made for a great villain. Travis Tanner appeared in seasons 1, 2, 3, and 5, the last of which saw him as a different man. It was due to one of Travis’ plans that Donna got fired during a case that almost ruined Harvey’s career.

9

Oliver Grady

Played by Jordan Johnson-Hinds

Oliver Grady may not have been great at court, but he was the lawyer Mike Ross aspired to be. A young lawyer working at a legal clinic, Oliver showed Mike that there were other ways to use his legal expertise than just fighting for major corporations on billion-dollar lawsuits. The dynamic between Oliver and Mike was very interesting, as they both needed to learn things from each other. Mike had always talked about how he wanted to use his gifts to help people, yet he had spent his entire career at Pearson “helping the rich get richer.”

Oliver and Nathan were the first two people that gave Mike a chance after he got out of jail. However, Mike broke their trust quite a few times, which made for lots of drama in Suits seasons 6 and 7. Still, Mike and Oliver did good things together and helped “the little guy” more than once. Oliver was a geek much like Mike, with a taste for comic books and superhero movie references.

8

Frank Gallo

Played by Paul Schulze

One of the toughest opponents Mike and Harvey faced in Suits was already behind bars when he first appeared – Frank Gallo. An old acquittance of Harvey Specter, Frank Gallo was arrested for financial crimes but, in reality, Harvey believed he was involved with murder and needed something to get him out of the street. This created a bad blood between Gallo and Harvey, one that reached new highs once Mike Ross was sent to the same prison as Frank.

Frank Gallo’s introduction in Suits is a great moment, as he pretends to be Mike’s cellmate and ears the trust of Harvey’s protégé. Once Mike understood what was happening, it was already too late. Not only did Frank Gallo threaten Rachel’s life, but he also made Mike’s time at prison even worse than what the former lawyer was expecting. Gallo was a recurrent villain in season 6 and played a supporting role in season 7, during which he was killed.

7

Benjamin from IT

Played by David Reale

Benjamin was the go-to IT professional at the firm whenever the characters needed help with anything ranging from searching for a document to hacking personal computers and databases. Benjamin was introduced early on in the series when Mike needed help accessing someone’s computer. Although Benjamin first helped Mike do something illegal due to the leverage the lawyer had on him, their dynamic evolved into a friendship. Other characters started to go to Benjamin for help in similar situations, which usually resulted in funny interactions between the lawyers and the hacker.

Benjamin was a fun character and even got his own storyline in season 6 when he developed an AI-powered device based on Donna Paulsen that would work as a personal secretary. The problem with Benjamin’s character is that it was used as a plot device in Suits. Benjamin could get anything the characters needed in a few minutes, with Suits sometimes getting into sci-fi territory due to how easy it was for him to hack things.

6

Gretchen Bodinski

Played by Aloma Wright

Replacing Donna was no easy feat, but Gretchen was up to the task. Suits season 4 ended with Donna leaving Harvey and going to work for Louis, whose secretary, Norma, had just died. The relationship between Donna and Harvey had reached a breaking point after 13 years in which, while their boundaries were clear, their feelings for each other had not been sorted out. This is why replacing Donna with a new secretary was so difficult for Harvey – her exit hit him personally and even caused him to have panic attacks.

It seemed like no secretary was going to be good enough for Harvey after more than a decade in which he could trust Donna no matter what, which is why Gretchen’s character was such a good addition to the show. Gretchen’s efficiency helped Harvey keep things going while he tried to make sense of Donna’s exit. Once Donna came back, Gretchen became Louis’ secretary, and they matched perfectly. Gretchen was friends with Norma and knew all the challenges of taking care of Louis.

5

Daniel Hardman

Played by David Costabile

Daniel Hardman was the main villain of Suits season 2 but continued to make small appearances throughout the series, appearing for the last time in season 8. Suits’ firm went through several names, but at the beginning of the series, it was known as Pearson Hardman. However, it was only in the first episode of season 2 that the “Hardman” in question was introduced. Suits revealed that Jessica and Harvey plotted to push Daniel Hardman out of the firm once they learned he was stealing money.

Using his affair as leverage, Jessica got Daniel out of the firm and became the sole name partner actually working there. Hardman, however, never gave up on reclaiming a spot at the firm. The villain came close to beating Jessica a couple of times, but she was eventually able to defeat him again thanks to a couple of major sacrifices, including a merger. Not many people could pose a threat to Jessica Pearson, but Daniel Hardman was one of them.

4

Stu Buzzini

Ian Reed Kesler

At first, it seemed like Stu Buzzini and the rest of the financial guys were to be generic antagonists whose only role in the story was to make Louis regret not asking for Donna’s input when renting the building. However, Stu turned out to be a surprisingly great addition to the show. While Stu was indeed somewhat of an antagonist upon his first appearance, he grew a lot and became a fan-favorite supporting character. Stu earned the trust and even the friendship of not only Louis but also Donna and Harvey.

Despite his tough persona, Stu was willing to help the lawyers at Pearson without ever asking too much in return. He became a loyal friend of the show’s main characters and was willing to help them even after they were no longer working in the same building. Stu was the biggest investor behind Donna and Benjamin’s project, resulting in an unlikely trio that worked very well. The friendship between Donna and Stu was particularly great, with the latter even asking the former to come work for him.

3

Sean Cahill

Played by Neal McDonough

Like many supporting Suits characters, Sean Cahill was introduced as a villain. As a federal agent working for the SEC, Sean was sure that Harvey Specter and Mike Ross were colluding on a case in which the former’s legal firm and the latter’s financial company were both involved. Sean Cahill was one of the toughest antagonists in Suits and could have gotten both Harvey and Mike behind bars. Fortunately, the duo showed him that there was a bigger fish involved – Eric Woodall.

When Sean Cahill returned to Suits, he was now an ally of Harvey and Mike. Having earned their respect and vice versa, Sean was instrumental in the ploy that got Mike Ross out of jail. Although they tried to keep things legal, Cahill had to compromise to get Mike a deal. Likewise, Harvey had to trick one of his clients as part of a larger plan to get Cahill what he wanted in exchange for Mike’s freedom. After Mike got out, Sean Cahill’s role on the show was limited to a couple of appearances.

2

Dana Scott

Played by Abigail Spencer

Dana Scott is one of the most important Suits characters that were not part of the show’s main cast. She was introduced as a high-profile lawyer who had a personal history with Harvey. Suits later reveal that Scottie had been much more important to Harvey than what originally seemed, to the point they could have been one of the show’s endgame couples. Apart from Donna, Scottie arguably knew Harvey better than anyone else. However, neither their professional relationship nor their romantic one quite worked.

Scottie and Harvey almost made it work a couple of times, yet there was always something preventing them from being together. Once Scottie came back to New York, joined Pearson Specter, and moved in with Harvey, it seemed like they were finally going to have their happily ever after. However, Mike Ross’ secret proved that Harvey and Scottie still could not fully trust each other. Dana Scott’s appearances in Suits were usually part of high-stakes storylines, which is why she made a huge mark on the show.

1

Robert Zane

Played by Wendell Pierce

Robert Zane was essentially a protagonist during certain arcs of Suits, but overall, he was a supporting character who was not always around. Rachel’s father participated in some of the most important storylines of Suits, including but not limited to Mike’s arrest and the merger that created Zane Specter Litt. Although he was in charge of a different firm, Robert was an important ally of Jessica Pearson. Since Rachel preferred working with Jessica to her father’s firm, Robert made sure to help Pearson whenever they were in need.

That said, Robert Zane could make for a great antagonist during certain episodes. Although he would never purposefully make a movie against his daughter’s second family, there were times when Robert was on the other side of the negotiation table. Suits season 8 is widely considered the show’s worst, but seeing Robert working alongside Harvey, Louis, and Donna was great. Robert Zane stole the show every time he was on screen and was one of Suits’ best characters.